we now hasten with many apologies for this protracted harangue to introduce the venerable name of CLARKSON's great coadjutor, even that of WILLIAM WILBERFORCE. (Cheers.) And is it too imaginative, or rather is it not becoming this temple, dedicated to the sublime impressions of eternity, to think, that if the holy dead can recognize the conduct of the living, that patriarch of liberty, whose spirit now brightens before that throne, may be permitted to gaze on this assembly, and waft a blessing on that cause on earth, the trophies of which he remembers in heaven!-But here, my Lord, we need not linger; the character and conduct of WILBERFORCE requires neither eulogy nor history; they form part and parcel of our national sympathies. We would simply remind the meeting that although associated with WILBERFORCE, were those giants of intellect, PITT, Fox, and BURKE, -it was only after innumerable delays, cabals and conspiracies, that WILBERFORCE Succeeded in carrying his glorious measure, and as the chime struck midnight in May, 1807, the last act of the GRENVILLE administration was, to sign and seal the "Magna Charta for Africa in Britain."

And now, my Lord, from this hurried retrospect of past exertions, we turn to the future, and ask, What remains to be done?-and what is our corresponding duty? Our reply is, let the past instruct the present, and from the triumphs of what has been effected, let us reason hopefully to what may be achieved. And this suggests an allusion to WILBERFORCE in the way of encouragement. Now, what is it that demands our chief admiration in contemplating the career of this eminent man? Why, my Lord, we do not hesitate to remark, while the result of his labors has been duly lauded, the moral process whereby that consummation was reached, has scarcely yet been sufficiently admired. Here, just as in the history of struggling intellect, when the palms are won, and the laurel binds the fevered brow of triumphant genius-the voice of fame is loud and long; yet all the solitude and sorrows, all the waste of heart and wear of mind, all the toilsome days and sleepless nights, are seldom estimated. So in the career of WILBERFORCE'S philanthropy-his success has been nobly congratulated; but the heroic self-denial, and all the high elements of patient zeal, and fortitude which he evinced throughout his arduous and protracted fight, against the world's antagonism, are too often unremembered in an estimate of what is great and good in his history. With this great man, indeed we may assert, that the energy of opposing circumstances ouly served to draw forth the energy of victorious principle. So, my Lord, from some green eminence in this romantic land, have I oft beheld with delighted gaze the gallant bark, contending nobly with the winds and waves around it-at times amid the darkening heavens and the uprising billows, the bark would seem to sink and disappear-but when the sunbeam came through the riven cloud, and flashed along the deep,-there was the little bark-bearing on to the harbor, where at length it arrived, and dried its dripping sails in the sun. So aid all the clashing waves and contending winds of opposition did WILBERFORCE, with never-failing heroism, carry forward the sacred cause of human freedom, and bear it finally unwrecked and uninjured into the haven of a nation's welcoming smiles!-My Lord, be it for us now, who are on the eve of following out his glorious precedent, to remember, that with WILBERFORCE, Success was neither the motive nor standard of duty; and that (under the Divine blessing) he was indebted for his costly triumph in the cause of humanity, to a fine combination of unquailing principles, set in motion by indomitable resolution. Be a spirit like this, our inspiration now! By combining prayer to God, with exertion towards man, let us march forward to meet the holy cause, that now demands all our energy, prudence, and zeal. And, so may the period soon arrive, when the spirit

of divinest freedom shall inspire the hearts, purify the homes, and exalt the characters of Africa's now degraded offspring; when, not a limb that moves within her vast domain but shall be found as fetterless as man was made to be! And then, my Lord, visions fairer than christian patriot ever concieved, nobler than painting ever sketched, and richer than poetry ever drew, shall be realized and seen; and the land where Tertullian penned his burn ing page, and Cyprian died the martyr's death, shall awake from the dark slumber of a thousand years of ignorance, slavery and crime, and more than rival what it once possessed, when Egypt was the cradle of science, the seminary of art, and the birthplace of literature. (Great Cheering.) And why? because, my Lord, Africa may have that which imparts to science its enobling strength, to art, its presiding beauty, and to literature, its sanctifying life and glory,-even that which heightens the moral lustre round the throne,-"being glory to God in the highest,"-while at the same time it awakens" peace on earth, and good will to men"-even the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yes, my Lord, it is because this Society recognizes that great verity, for which we should all be ready to bleed on the block, and to burn in the flame-viz. that Christianity, and Christianity alone, is the conservatrix of liberty, and the true reformer of the world, -it is on this account, my Lord, pre-eminently, I would give this Society my very cordial though insignificant support. For if the Son shall make the Africans free, they shall be free indeed. (Cheers.) And now, where savage waters wind their lone course-un whitened by a single sail-there may commerce lift her thousand signals, streaming in the gale; instead of forest depths, where the tiger preys, and the lion howls,-there may the thronged city, the busy wharf, the crowded street be hereafter seen, with all the glow of commercial life and the grace of social advancement; and instead of the war-whoop of contending tribes, the tyrant's lash, the clank of chains, and thraldom's bitter sigh-there may be heard the voice of prayer, the sound of praise, and the sweet music of the "church going bell. (Applause.) My Lord, the cold head and the calculating heart may pro-, nounce this to be mere poetry-but He who ruleth on high, may in mercy render it prediction! And, therefore, in conclusion, I most warmly anticipate the time when the energies of Scotland, England, and Ireland, will be found condensed into one high, magnificent, and holy enterprise-for carrying out the principles of this Society, and for putting down that consummate treason against God and man-slave trade. (Cheers.) Yes! soon may that vessel be launched, from whose deck the voice of this united empire will proclaim the commencing jubilee of Afric's glorious freedom, and the termination of her shameful wrongs-for

"Thus saith Britania, empress of the sea,
Thy chains are broken-Africa! be free."

AFRICAN MISSION.-The shipment of the necessary supplies and specie for the support of the African mission now calls for about $3500. This sum, it will be seen, has been borrowed, until the amount can be obtained from the future income of this department. The urgency of this appeal will be appreciated by those who desire to see the missions of our church to this benighted land, liberally sustained. Are there not motives enough at the present encouraging period to animate the members of the Church at large, in so promising an effort for Africa? Life has been preserved-the first difficulties overcome-the labors of the missionaries have been signally blessed-new stations have been opened for these labors, and the earnest plea of the brethren is that more missionaries may join them. Are they to

be told that the church will no longer support them in their work? The present number of this periodical of their church goes to them, and it may be long before they can hear of the answer which shall be given to the appeals now making, not only for the wants of the mission so dear to their hearts, but for the support of all our missions abroad. May these brethren at least be assured, in the mean time, that many prayers are ascending from those who have little of silver or gold to give. They will say that Africa is remembered, in the missionary company of another denomination, which goes out at this time, consisting of two missionaries and their wives, who go to undertake the establishment of a new mission, about sixty miles to windward of Cape Palmas.-Spirit of Missions.

MISSIONS TO AFRICA.

Ar a public meeting held at Bristol, formerly the great mart of the slavetrade in England, on the 19th of November, the Rev. T. B. FREEMAN, who had recently returned from the Ashantee country, was present, and made statements which appear deeply to have interested the hearers, concerning the state of that kingdom, and of the whole region occupying the space between the territory of the Ashantees and the Gold Coast, in reference to missionary labors. He gave an encouraging detail of his own proceedings and those of his fellow laborers. He said, among other things, in alluding to the affecting sacrifice of life in the attempts of Europeans to civilize Africa, that it would never be accomplished but by native agency. It is also stated that at this meeting" Mr. DE GRAAPE, a native of Cape Coast, in a modest and sensible address, and in very good English, made a few remarks, in which he alluded to himself as a living witness of the good effected by Christian missions, and expressed his humble belief that they from the west would at the last great day meet with their fellow Christians from the north, the south, and the east, and sit down together in the kingdom of their God forever."

The Chairman also stated that the Wesleyan Missions were making a most successful progress, but their funds were £60,000, occasionally the society was £20,000 in debt. He said there was a most favorable prospect from the consent of the king of Ashantee, for the introduction of Christianity into that region, and missionaries were ready to go forth on the good work. But £5000 were required for the purpose, towards which they had now nearly £4000. They had recommended Mr. FREEMAN to come over and make his own appeal in England. Africa had a strong claim in Bristol, and that claim was honorably recognized by its merchants. Messrs. R. & W. K. had generously sent a check of £50 towards the object of the meeting. -Hartford Congregationalist.

From the Baltimore Patriot.

MARYLAND IN LIBERIA.

We have before us the Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Maryland State Colonization Society, and we are truly gratified to find that it presents a very favorable view, for the past year, of the condition of the Maryland colony planted at Cape Palmas. Not having space at present for the insertion of the report at length, we present a brief abstract of its material points. Not only have the relations of the colonists and natives afforded to the Board the highest gratification, but also of its internal concerns, which are pronounced to be in the highest degree satisfactory. The Board truly remark that among the most important considerations connected with

the colony, is its health, and that the fear of sickness there has often been sufficient to deter many who would otherwise have emigrated. Letters however, from the Rev. Mr. MINOR, of the Episcopal mission, and Dr. SAMUEL F. MCGILL, the colonial physician, pronounce the health of the missionaries and emigrants as now uniformly good, and their ability to labor thereby much increased. There had been no deaths in the colony from the first of July to the 6th of September, the date of the latest received despatches. The great mortality in the early periods of African colonization, is attributed to the ignorance which then existed as to the best modes of treating diseases incident to the climate, the unsheltered condition of the colonists, and the despondency that at times prevailed in consequence of the privations natural to their condition as first settlers. These evils have, happily, been all overcome, by their vastly improved condition, and as great a degree of health now prevails in the settlement as would have been experienced among the emigrants had they remained in the United States. The number of white residents (missionaries) is stated to be twenty, and that of the colored, five hundred. The relations of the Board with the former are in every respect satisfactory, and their labors in preserving "peace and good will" between the natives and colonists, fully appreciated and acknowledged. No expedition having been despatched to the colony the past year, with emigrants, was in part owing to the want of funds, and the indisposition of the Society to incur a debt for that purpose; an additional reason also presented itself from the fact of a prevailing excitement for emigration to Trinidad and Guiana, which existed to such an extent among the colored people as to prevent their listening to the favorable pretensions of any other place to their notice. Although firmly of opinion that time would develope that the inducements held out by the English planters for the emigration of the free colored people were prompted more by self-interest than philanthropy, nevertheless the Board were unwilling to throw any difficulties in the way of that movement, as those emigrants would soon discover that the difference of color which formed the insuperable barrier to a social equality in America, was not less high nor more easily surmounted in those Islands than in Maryland.

The prosperity of the colony at Cape Palmas is evidenced by the trade that has been gradually centreing there, which has enabled the governor within the past year to contribute materially to its expenses, and the belief is indulged that ere long the colonists will be enabled to export to this country cotton, coffee, rice, palm oil, and probably sugar, as the produce of their labor and industry, when the wealth of the Colony will be assured. With the view of facilitating the arrival of so desirable a period, and to render the intercourse between Baltimore and the Colony more regular and frequent, the Board are desirious to obtain a suitable vessel of their own, a measure deemed of very great importance, and for the accomplishment of which they have directed their agents to take subscriptions for this purpose especially, and have already between three and four thousand dollars subscribed. The assistant agent at the Colony, GEORGE R. MCGILL, is mentioned in very high terms, as a man of intelligence and information, who visited Bal timore during the past year, and on his return took with him his appointment as teacher of the Ladies' School, established at Harper by the Ladies of Baltimore. For the use of the "Ladies' Society," a commodious stone school-house has been erected, and the example set them by the ladies of our city is recommended to the favorable consideration of the ladies of Maryland generally, as great good might be done at a comparatively small expense. The managers conclude by mentioning, that there is not at present a white man in office in "Maryland in Liberia,"-and no white superinten

dence even on the coast. Governor Russ WORM is a person of color, and the colonial physician, Dr. SAMUEL FORD MCGILL, also a person of color, who received a diploma, with much credit to himself, in a northern college of medicine and they deem it due to those individuals to state to the public their entire satisfaction with them, likewise to speak in approbation of that policy which induced the Board five years since to place the executive pow er in Africa into the hands of a colored person, as both wise and just.Upon a review of all these facts, as disclosed by the report of the Board of Managers, we see everything to encourage us in promoting the noble scheme of State Colonization so spiritedly entered into by the people of Maryland, and as the annual meeting of the Society will be held in the Senate chamber at Annapolis, on Tuesday evening next, an opportunity will be afforded the representatives of the people to say how far their proceedings merit the approbation of their constituents.

SOUTH AFRICA.

FROM the Scottish Christian Herald, issued on October 31, 1840, which we received by the last steamer, we extract an affecting narrative, by Mr. Ross, Missionary at Pirrie:

FEMALE DEGRADATION AMONG THE CAFFRES.-The state of the Caffre female is peculiarly degraded. There, as in all heathen countries, she is placed far under the other sex in the scale of society. Conscious, as it were, of her own inferiority, she willingly submits to be a slave, and thinks it beyond her province to exercise even a thought beyond the work of her hands. When about to be married, her consent is never asked; and often her husband is a person she has never seen. The choice sometimes is thus made. Her father sends an arsegai to the man he has fixed upon, as likely to give the number of cattle he wants for her. If the weapon is accepted, it is understood that the acceptor is willing to take the girl. In that case her father sends her, accompanied by a few friends. They arrive at the kraal in the evening, and sit down outside the place. The dogs immediately begin to bark. The inhabitants thus know that strangers have come. They accordingly go out and inquire whence they have come, and their errand. The strangers explain, and ask a place to rest in for the night. A hut is assigned them. Next morning the girl is brought out and examined from head to foot, as you would examine a brute beast, by the principal men of the kraal; after which she is returned to her hut, and the man is asked whether he is willing to take her. If he says he is willing, an ox forth with is slaughtered, and dancing commences, which is continued for several days. But should it be otherwise-should her person not please, she is sent home, and her father is told to send another daughter.

"A painful case fell recently under my own observation. While the girls were in the school, the father of one of them was heard saying outside, that he had given back the cattle, so that his daughter might return' home. That led me to inquire into the circumstances; and I was told that the young woman had been married a few weeks before, to a man whom she did not know, whom she had never seen, but who had sent to her father for one of his daughters, offering to give three head of cattle. The propo sal had been accepted, and the girl was sent to the purchaser, who had her person examined in the usual way, and declared himself satisfied. But next day she took such a dislike to him, that she left, and returned home. In the mean time, her father had set out on a journey; but a brother of hers, on hearing what had happened. ordered her to return, beating her at the same time severely. She declared that she would not go back, as she dis

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